Post navigation

Simple Is Best For Meal Prep Success

Like so many of us starting out on our fitness journey, when Fitmark Ambassador Morgan Self first got into weightlifting and working out, she didn’t know much about nutrition and how to eat for her fitness goals. But that didn’t stop her from entering her first competition and earning her NGA Pro Card.

During that time, I realized how much I didn’t know when I was first starting out, and wanted to help as many people reach their fitness goals as I could.

Morgan taught herself the ins and outs of training and nourishing her body, and through a lot of trial and error, fine-tuned her program to fit her body’s needs. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. So she started her own fitness coaching business, SelfMadeFit, she says:

To help others learn more about fitness and how to use their nutrition and training to work toward their goals. I wanted everyone to feel like they could accomplish any goal they set for themselves – because they can.

Meal Prep Tips

1. Keep It Simple – My biggest meal prep tip is to keep it simple. Eat whole, nutrient dense foods that are easy to track. For instance, it’s a lot easier to prepare and track chicken and rice than it is to prepare and track any sort of recipe dish that contains 10 ingredients. I find it works best to cook your chicken and other proteins and rice in bulk, and then portion them out as you need them.

2. Plan Ahead – Always prepare your food ahead of time and make sure you always have nutritious foods ready to eat. That way, you won’t be tempted to stop and get fast food, or dig into the chips and dip when you get home from the gym! (Which is only okay if they’re i won! organics chips!)

3. Pack Your Meals – If you aren’t home all day, pack your foods with you in a Fitmark meal prep bag. I pack my food the night before, so I can grab it and go!

I bring my Fitmark bag to work with me EVERY DAY! It has more than enough room for me to pack my 3 meals that I eat away from home, and room for ice packs to keep it all cool.

4. Pack Meals for Work – I keep all of my food with me at my desk, so I don’t have to worry about anyone taking my lunch out of the refrigerator in the employee break room. Having all of my foods with me during the day, ready to eat, really helps me stay on track when my office caters in lunch, or patients bring in goodies for everyone.

Keeping it simple also applies to your fitness routine and how you work out. When you’re just getting started, it’s best not to overwhelm yourself by complicating matters. So follow Morgan’s advice and keep it simple.

MyTop 3 Workout Tips for Beginners

1. Keep It Simple – simple movements can be the most beneficial and will allow you to concentrate on the muscle being worked. There is no need to get super fancy. Just keep it simple until you get the hang of what you’re doing.

2. Mind-to-Muscle Connection – with every exercise you do, make sure to focus the muscle for the best workout. Do your research to find out exactly where you should be feeling it, and focus on that area when you’re lifting. The mind-to-muscle connection is a huge help when trying to perfect your form and get the most out of each rep.

3. Be Realistic – If you’ve never been to a gym before, don’t set a goal to go seven days a week. Set realistic goals for yourself that will fit into your schedule without making your life hectic. A good starting plan would be to make it to the gym 3-4x per week, and spend 1 to 1 ½ hours there. That should give you enough time to do whatever you need to do without taking up your entire day. Be realistic with your goals inside the gym as well. Weight loss and muscle gain take time, so make sure you’re setting realistic goals that you can stick to.

Keeping your meal prep and fitness routine simple at first is the best way to get started. Without complicated diets to follow and intricate training programs to figure out, it will make your life simpler and you’ll find it easier to get started. More importantly, it will help you stick to your routine and reach your goals.